During that era, entire industries and fiefdoms grew to accommodate the increasingly complex machinery and politics of national defense.

FORBES: The Enterprise IT Industrial Complex In The Era of Agile IT

After returning to Chile, Bachelet became a pediatrician and then entered politics, serving as minister of health and as minister of defense before winning the presidency.

NPR: Michelle Bachelet Says She's Going Back To Chile

While I am sure that Alexander Golts, the much-touted Russian military expert, knows a great deal more than I do about the inner workings of the Russian defense ministry, he apparently knows almost nothing about American electoral politics and how it influences the development of foreign policy.

FORBES: Obama's New Defense Strategy: Alexander Golts Doesn't Have a Clue About American Politics

Having served under eight Presidents of both parties, this is a man who understands that our defense budget isn't about politics, it's about the security of our country, and who knows that every dollar wasted is a dollar we can't spend to care for our troops or protect the homeland.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama Signs National Defense Authorization Act

Politics, after all, is a full-contact sport that requires both an offense and a defense.

CNN: Stuart Rothenberg: Can Bush win by 'going positive?'